About this project

$36,745

229

The Mutilated is one of the funniest, strangest, most neglected, and most moving of Tennessee Williams' later plays.

"I think the strange the crazed the queer will have their holiday this year."

The French Quarter of New Orleans on Christmas Eve in the mid-20th century
and a chorus of misfits and freaks sing a carol about life on the
fringes of society and tell the tale of two mysterious women whose strong bond of
friendship overcomes their constant and vicious quarreling.

Once a society woman, Trinket Dugan —
played by Mink Stole — has hidden
herself away at the Silver Dollar Hotel in the French Quarter and lives there with a painful secret.

Vagrant, shoplifter, and over-the-hill
(though always hopeful) prostitute, Celeste — played by Penny Arcade — is Trinket’s only real friend and the only person who
knows her secret.

But their friendship has been pushed to the
limit; Celeste wants money, a free
meal, a jug of California tokay wine, and takes anything she can bully, bribe, or
blackmail from Trinket.

When Trinket finds out Celeste has
humiliated her by broadcasting her secret around the Quarter, the battle is on and they fight cruelly among the singing “Quarter
Rats” — con men, hookers, cops, freaks, sailors, and drunks — until they find a way to resuscitate their friendship just in time to share a
mystical experience that changes their lives.

Perfect for these roles, Mink Stole and Penny Arcade are beautifully matched with director Cosmin Chivu who has directed several late plays by Tennessee Williams.

Original music will be composed by Jesse Selengut and performed live on stage by his band TIn Pan.

HOW YOU CAN BE IN ON THE ACTION

Your contribution will go directly to
the expenses related to producing this remarkable play in New York City in November 2013:
theater rental, sets, lighting, costumes, actors salaries, musicians, and
publicity.

We have only 54 days to reach our
goal. If we do not reach our goal
we will not receive any of the money! It's all or nothing with
Kickstarter, so please do your part and contribute
whatever you can as soon as you can. The sooner we reach our goal,
the sooner we can get to work.

Please enjoy the rewards that come with your donation — we
are happy to be able to offer them. If you decide you only want part of the reward offered, just contact our
producer with the details via the link provided.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tennessee Williams

The most influential American playwright of the
twentieth-century, Tennessee Williams’s impact on our culture is profound and
his reputation continues to grow. Along with the power and poetry
of his greatest plays — The Night of the
Iguana, The Rose Tattoo, Sweet Bird of Youth, Orpheus Descending, Camino Real,
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, A Streetcar Named Desire, and The Glass Menagerie — audiences have been delightedly discovering his later works, many of which experiment with style, subject matter, and theatricality.

WHY THE MUTILATED?

“I know
Mr. Williams is trying to do something ambitious and ambiguous but, gee, I
wish he would just give something old and square like A Streetcar Named Desire.” —from John McClain’s review of A Slapstick Tragedy in the New York Journal-American, February 23,
1966

When
it premiered on Broadway in 1966 (with The
Gnädiges Fräulein under the collective title Slapstick Tragedy), critics were flabbergasted and frustrated by The Mutilated and why Tennessee Williams
was not writing plays like Cat on a Hot
Tin Roof or The Glass Menagerie. Williams’s
explorations into experimental, less conventional forms of theater were met
with stinging reviews, disappointment, and even anger. But, Williams kept
writing and now, decades later, many of these plays are being rediscovered and
successfully produced.The Mutilated
is indeed one of the funniest, strangest, most neglected, and most moving of these
later Williams plays.

For
an article about the plays in Esquire magazine
in 1965, Williams wrote, “The style is kin to vaudeville, burlesque and
slapstick, with a dash of pop art thrown in. . . . [an] allegory on the tragicomic subject of human existence on
this risky planet.”

ABOUT
THE STARS

Penny Arcade

Penny Arcade: A runaway at thirteen, a
reform-school graduate at sixteen, a performer in the legendary Play-House of
the Ridiculous at eighteen, and an escapee from Andy Warhol’s Factory at
twenty, Penny is an originator of what came to be called performance art and is
the author of ten evening-length performance plays including the international
hit Bitch!Dyke!Faghag!Whore! She has
also collaborated with Steve Zehentner on the long running video series The Lower East Side Biography Project “Stemming
The Tide of Cultural Amnesia.”
http://pennyarcade.tv/

Mink Stole (photo by Mac James)

Cult film legend, Mink Stole writes
about herself: “As an actor I’ve worked with filmmaker John Waters since the
world wore diapers [Pink Flamingos, Female Trouble, Polyester, Hairspray, Serial Mom, Pecker, etc.]. For my whole filmography, just check out IMDB – it’s mostly
right. I've been singing and performing one-woman shows with my Wonderful Band
for the last few years, A track I recorded, “Sometimes I Wish I Had A Gun,” was
released in 2008 on the compilation disk A
Date With John Waters. My debut album for Mink Stole and the Wonderful
Band, Do Re Mink, has just been
released.” http://minkstole.com/

Risks and challenges

We have only 54 days to reach our goal. If we do not reach our goal we will not receive any of the money! That is the greatest risk. It's all or nothing with Kickstarter, so please do your part and contribute whatever you can as soon as you can. The sooner we reach our goal, the sooner we can get to work.

FAQ

Support this project

Select this reward

Pledge $25 or more
About $25

For any "other amount" donations under $25 and for donations from $25 to $49, your name will be printed in the program along with the other supporters and you will have our heartfelt gratitude because you know that every amount helps!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $200 or more
About $200

All of the above, as well as 2 tickets to the show and EITHER the book "Bad Reputation" by Penny Arcade (signed by the author) OR Mink's Stole Audio CD "Do Re Mink" (signed by the artist) and a copy of the play "The Mutilated" signed by both Mink and Penny.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $250 or more
About $250

Both the book "Bad Reputation" by Penny Arcade (signed by the author) and Mink's Stole Audio CD "Do Re Mink" (signed by the artist), a copy of the play "The Mutilated" signed by both Mink and Penny, as well as 2 tickets to the show, a personal thank you note from producer Beth Bartley, and your name printed in the program along with the other supporters.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $500 or more
About $500

Signed copies of "Bad Reputation" by Penny Arcade and "Do Re Mink" by Mink Stole, AND
"Memoirs" by Tennessee Williams, signed by John Waters who wrote the Introduction. 2 tickets to see the show, a personal thank you note from producer Beth Bartley. Your name printed in the program along with the other supporters.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $1,000 or more
About $1,000

Signed copies of "Bad Reputation" by Penny Arcade and "Do Re Mink" by Mink Stole, "Memoirs" by Tennessee Williams signed by John Waters, AND The 8-DVD Set "John Waters Collection" with Mink Stole in every film, signed by Mink. 2 tickets to the show. A personal thank you note from producer Beth Bartley. Your name printed in the program in a special section acknowledgements.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $2,500 or more
About $2,500

Dinner for two with your choice of either Penny Arcade or Mink Stole. 4 tickets to the show. A copy of either Penny's book or Mink's CD for them to sign, depending upon which actress you choose to have dinner with. A personal thank you note from producer Beth Bartley. Your name printed in the program in a special section of acknowledgements.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $5,000 or more
About $5,000

Dinner for four — you and a friend will dine with Penny Arcade and Mink Stole. 4 tickets to the show. A copy of both Penny's book and Mink's CD for them to sign for you at dinner. A personal thank you note from producer Beth Bartley and your name printed in the program in a special section of acknowledgements.